‘There is nothing to add’: CNN’s Chris Cuomo discusses ‘Fredo’ video

‘There is nothing to add’: CNN’s Chris Cuomo discusses ‘Fredo’ video

CNN host Chris Cuomo on Monday briefly commented on a verbal spat he had with an alleged heckler during his vacation earlier this month, and he thanked his supporters from both sides of the political spectrum.

“All right, no secret how I spent one particular afternoon on vacation, and there is nothing to add,” Cuomo said in his closing remarks on his show. “Except to say, ‘thank you.’ Thank you to all who reached out in person, who sent messages. I appreciate it.”

Cuomo also thanked Fox News host Sean Hannity, who on Twitter described the apparent heckler as a “jacka–” and said the CNN host had “zero to apologize for.”

“That includes Mr. Hannity and Ms. Maddow,” Cuomo said, also in reference to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “They acted as colleagues, not competitors, and I won’t forget it.”

“In fact, I’m not going to forget, and I will use all of the feedback,” Cuomo added. “Because the key is for us to all be better, and that starts with me.”

Video of the incident went viral in political circles after it was uploaded by a right-wing vlogger. The footage showed Cuomo, who is of Italian heritage, confronting a man after he called him “Fredo.”

Cuomo described the name as an “aspersion,” and in a profanity-laced argument, shouted it was a disparaging term for people of Italian descent. The term is in reference to Fredo Corleone, a character who betrays one of the leading characters in the “Godfather” movie series.

“Don’t f—— insult me like that,” Cuomo said at one point.

Cuomo also attracted scrutiny for the incident after he likened the term to the “N-word” for Italians. Conservative political figures, including Trump Organization executive Donald Trump Jr., noted on social media that Cuomo did not previously scrutinize the term from his guests on his show.

Cuomo’s weeknight program “Cuomo Prime Time” did not air last Monday, after the video went viral. A CNN spokesperson told Business Insider that Cuomo was on a pre-scheduled break and that the company would support him.

“Chris Cuomo defended himself when he was verbally attacked with the use of an ethnic slur in an orchestrated setup,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. “We completely support him.”